Lessons in life are found in the tiniest of details of our day. We simply need to take the time to stop, enjoy and appreciate what is on offer. Whether it be sage advice via a conversation with a friend, or a lovely symbol found in nature while out enjoying a walk. Life always has a way of connecting us to much more than simply what meets the eye.

Being pregnant taught me to surrender and take the time and space to rest and support myself. My food choices, exercise and the way I moved on a day to day basis coupled with this new found surrender within my body made me more aware of my natural stillness. This stillness then connected me to the movements my son Beau made within me. Beau’s movements developed and changed throughout the nine months and taught me a lot about who he is and how his birth would change my partner Daniel and my life as we knew it.

Now Beau is just over 4 weeks old and the lessons continue to roll and flow in each passing day. As a new mother I have experienced a lot of advice and experiences from many people on what to do and how to care for him. Some of it has been super supportive and helpful and some has just downright confused and overwhelmed me. But the one sure fire piece of advice I continue to return to over and over again is to

“Stop, breathe and connect to my body, all I need is right here always.”

My body may hold all of the answers I will ever need, but sometimes it does elude me when I am stressed, tired or feeling overwhelmed. I’m not perfect by any means, just a student of life willing to share, observe and learn from what is on offer all around me. We have that power constantly. Even though Beau is just a tiny newborn he has a lot of grand wisdom to share. We are all teachers, no matter what the age.

So here are some lessons I have learnt from my young teacher already:

1. Connect, Connect, Connect: The best advice I received from one of the maternal health nurses was “Put down google and simply connect with your baby.” She was absolutely spot on. Simply being with Beau and watching his movements, listening to his cries and enjoying his little gaze allows me to know everything I need to support him through these early stages of life.

2. Take a nap when you need it: Babies sleep a lot and although I sometimes love just watching him sleep, so peacefully, it is so beneficial for us as a family to rest when needed and not push through to get just one more thing done. Even though we are here to care for our babies, we need to support and nurture ourselves first. What a great lesson we can then teach our children. Self-care is paramount for a truly vital life.

3. Communication is key: As adults we communicate through all of our movements, not just the way we speak to each other. Babies can’t speak via words, but they can speak through their movement, cries and through their eyes. Observing babies and how they move is a great tool to know when they are happy, hungry or need a nappy change. Being able to observe and read our babies via their movements offers us so much as parents. Observing brings much more ease and simplicity to our own movements which then prevents the feelings of overwhelm, anxiety and stress.

4. Enjoy the space to simply be: Put down the phone, stop folding the washing or trawling Facebook and enjoy the space to be still. Babies are marvels at being still and we can learn a lot from them in regard to stillness. We all have very busy lives and lots of responsibilities, but our number one responsibility is being present and connected. This then supports us with everything we do in our daily lives.

5. Move with gentleness: I’ve noticed how sensitive Beau is to sudden movements. He loves it when we gently rock him or delicately stroke his tummy. Babies love a gentle touch and when we move from gentleness our bodies really light up and our movements are magnified ten-fold. Have you ever noticed how you feel when you move too quickly or in reaction or anger to something or someone? Our bodies are always communicating.

6. Share your joy and playfulness: Sing, dance, move, talk, be light and playful as a child. Beau has recently started smiling and his expression brings such joy to our lives. Why not let your own playful expression soar and see how it in turn changes your day and the people around you too?

Life with a newborn maybe a challenge at times: lack of sleep, long days, endless daily chores etc. But why not take a moment to appreciate how our babies and children are masters of life already and teach us as adults, the true joy of living and the love that holds us always.

Early this morning I went for a walk, but something was a little different about this walk. The sun was rising and the sky was full of colour: Orange, peach and blue it was looking to be a great day, so clear and promising.

I stopped for a moment to consider, is it really going to just be a great day because the weather is going to be sunny?” This sounds kind of silly. Why can't everyday be amazing?

When we watch the weather report on the news waiting to see what will be predicted with the day or week's forecast. Imagine the pressure we place on ourselves depending on how the weather is every single day? We would be all over the place in every sense of the word i.e What do I need to wear today, do I need to pack a jacket or umbrella the list is endless.

In my day to day working environment, I hear many comments about how the weather is going to be. If it's sunny people are very chirpy and sunny, but if it's cold and rainy I notice that the mood in some changes, kind of like the old 80's mood rings. A different colour meant a certain mood you were feeling, except instead of a moody colour its wether a dark cloud is present or the sun.

But what if we could feel light and warm all of the time? Instead of holding onto a picture of what that particular weather may be, we could actually feel amazing just for being who we are everyday….

While on my walk enjoying the rising sun with my friend I stayed connected to every step I made and could feel my feet touch the ground and each breath moved freely through my lungs and a real delicateness in my stride and my posture. We were chatting and I still remained connected to me. Throughout the walk I could feel the warmth of the sun within me too, and it felt awesome!

So if I could be connected like this on a sunny day I could surely be like this on any day in any moment, wind, hail or shine. We are our own meteorologists and can share exactly what the weather will be like from our very own weather vane i.e our bodies. Staying connected to ourselves and how we move in every moment is the key to living a life of joy and when someone says "Wow it looks like it's going to be a nice sunny day? You can say in full knowing of who you are " Yes today like everyday is going to be amazing, as I am here connected to how I move in every moment in every way and that's a pretty amazing weather forecast to me.

I love to cook. I like to keep it really super simple and I love experimenting with things, feeling into what works with what. I have a knack for creating yummy simple meals that are super nourishing and uncomplicated. I'm always open to recipes suggestions too, hint hint!

I've recently started a new nightly routine of gently cleansing my face with a cleansing beauty balm and a warm face washer. Its a lovely way to finish my day and sets me up for my wind down before bed. Lately I have felt the pull to experiment and play with creating my own beauty products. Its like cooking a gorgeous meal but instead you are cooking up a beautiful concoction for your glorious face, yup it's definitely a super delish cook off!.

If you google homemade 'natural, diy beauty products' you will get a wide variety of recipes. I have singled out a few of my favourite resources and felt to share with you all;

My first foray into handmade beauty products was a success but my favourite recipe so far is this divine "Beauty Balm," from Laura Hoy's delicious website "Essential Oils & You." It was super easy and so nourishing on my skin. Once I have finished this batch, I feel I may play around with some calendula infused almond oil for something a little calmingly different. That's the joy of creating your own products, you can tailor it to your skincare needs and pick what essentials oils you like, to create an array of gorgeous products. Let your creativity soar!

One of the main components of the balm is Sweet Almond Oil. I added my own little twist to the recipe by creating my own rose petal infused oil and using that. It was glorious. If you want to give it a go, you can find the recipe for that here:

Yes joy is definitely a feeling but it is much more than that. It is a way of living and of being. Joy is very much a feeling, that is different for each and everyone of us. I know myself that I probably don't allow myself time to really feel joy, always busying myself with tasks, work, cleaning etc, just trying to get things done. But something I learnt recently is the simple fact is there is real joy in just completing these so called tasks with joy, by being present while doing them. Sounds strange? But it is so true.

I also get bogged down with being to serious and not allowing myself the space to just breathe and be impulsed to just be a big kid sometimes. If I want to sit and play my drum, dance around the lounge room, mess around with my paints for no reason at all but to simply allow more play time then you know what, the dishes can wait. There I said it!

So today I claim leaving the so called tasks behind and reclaim back your joy!!